Pretty much any sawyer out there will tell you there’s no feeling quite like owning a mill.
For some, it is the pride in controlling the entire build, from sourcing raw materials to completing a project. For others, it is the life-long dream of starting and growing a business.
What everyone can agree on is the incredible feeling of unlocking potential from nearly any log. The possibilities are nearly limitless.
Of course, if you’re reading this, you probably have your own reasons for investing in a portable sawmill.
But here are four reasons you may not have considered yet.
FOUR REASONS FOR INVESTING IN A PORTABLE SAWMILL:
1. Your mill could pay for itself
You might be surprised how many Norwood owners use their mills to earn money. In fact, it might be more difficult to find a Norwood owner who isn’t making some extra money from their mill.
Sawyers all around the world are turning their Norwood mills into money-making machines, finding incredible beauty in the most unexpected places.
“I’ve been doing a ton of milling, and most of it has been actually for [other] people,” says Logan Wittmer from Woodsmith Magazine, “The mill has pretty much paid for itself at this point, in six months, which has been amazing.”
Logan’s experience is common for many sawyers. It seems there is always someone looking to get rid of a downed tree, or trying to find unique species or dimensions. Owning your own mill enables you to leverage these opportunities.
“Generally I’m getting between $75 and $100 an hours mill time and that’s usually enough time to get through 2 or 3 logs…” says Logan. At that rate, it doesn’t long before your mill can turn a profit.
Logan isn’t the only one, either. We talk with owners every day who are making extra income for their family, or increasing revenue for their businesses.
2. You can give downed trees a purpose
There is nothing sadder to a sawyer than a wasted log. But this is exactly what can happen with arborists or tree removal services. The logs will end up in a firewood pile or, worse, the woodchipper.
But owning a sawmill means you can give these trees a purpose.
“If it is free and I can save it instead of it being cut into firewood, I will do so…” says Logan, who has been working to find homes for all sorts of downed trees from recent storms. He is even working with species targeted by new pests.
“With the ash borer attacking everything, most of the trees [arborists] are taking down right now are ash, which thankfully we can save,” says Logan, “[they] will live on in some form of future project.”
In this case, the trees may only barely survive the ash borer’s attack, but sawyers across America are ensuring these beautiful trees don’t go to waste.
3. You can find free logs
Two of the best resources for sawyers are local arborists and tree removal services, who often need to dispose of logs and who are more than happy to give the logs purpose. This can mean cheap, or even free, logs for your mill.
While still new to the sawyer community, Logan is already finding ways to earn extra money from unexpected places.
“[Pine] isn’t something we usually keep” says Logan, “I had a guy stop out about a week ago looking for some pine…the guy decided to buy those logs.”
After all, no one wants to see our incredible resources go to waste. So why not turn them into something amazing?
4. You’ll find surprises not found in any box store
When was the last time you visited a big-box store or lumberyard, and didn’t search through a pile of warped or cracked boards for what you were looking for?
And did you actually find something you were happy with?
This isn’t a problem for sawyers. Cutting a unique board and imagining what you could build from it is an incredible feeling that Norwood owners know well.
"You want Christmas every day just fire up the mill and open a tree,” says Michael, a Norwood owner from Texas, “You will see beauty that only mills owners see."
Every single cut can lead to inspiration. Things as simple as a crotch, knot and twist can unleash something beautiful.
(Want an example? Check out the grain in the elm log’s crotch around 27:00 into the video, found below).
Every new sawyer knows why they want to invest in a mill, but not every sawyer understands the world of opportunities at their fingertips.
When you own a Norwood, you can capitalize on those opportunities. Just take a moment to imagine the potential.
Take a look at Logan’s video, below. He describes some of his incredible experiences with his Norwood LumberPro HD36, including how his mill has already paid for itself!
Have questions? Let us know! Our sawyers can answer any questions you have about finding your dream mill.
Give us a call at 1-800-567-0404 to learn more!